Rocky
WKR
While looking for new boots this year I was interested when I hear about the Zamberlan Pamir by Kuiu, but struggle finding very many reviews on them so I decided to purchase the boots so I could actually get my hands on them. After trying them out here is my two cents.
Here is a little background information about my feet. I wear a 9.5 in my Asics and Nikes. I like my shoes a little tighter so I decided to order my boots in a size 10 to make sure that my toes were not cramped while hiking down steep grades. As far as my foot I have a slender ankles, narrow heels, and high arches.
When the boots arrived the first thing I did was look at the exterior of the boots. The sole and rand on the boots appear to be very rugged. I also like what I saw when I looked at the lacing system used by the boots. While looking at the exterior of the boots I didn't see anything that raised any questions or concerns with the sole or rand.
After giving the boots a once over it was time to put on the boots. I was very impressed with how my foot felt inside of the boot. Like I stated previously I have slender ankles and the material inside of the boot really "held" my ankle. It reminded me of putting a new pair of hockey skates.
The tongue of the boot is adjustable up and down by about a 1/2 of an inch. This adjustment is easily accomplished by unvelcroing the tongue and moving it up or down. This adjustment is a nice feature that allows the user to somewhat customize the fit of the boots. By moving the tongue down it filled up some of the "extra" space in the boot which created a better fit for me.
Now it was time to lace up the boots. The lace system on the boots is a pulley system on the lower section, followed by a locking mechanism near your ankle, and topped off with the classic hooks used to finish lacing the boot. The pulleys and the locking mechanism allows you to lock the laces on the lower section before you use the hooks to finish lacing the boots. The locking mechanism worked so well that I had to be careful when lacing the boots because on more than one occasion I over tightened the lower section of the boots and my feet started to fall asleep while wearing them. The only question I had with the lacing system was the long term durability of the laces as a result of "unlocking" them when you are unlacing the boots. This is not a con but simply a question I have.
Now that the boots were laced it was time to actually start walking in them. My first impression was that they were really stiff. I was able to walk ok in them while walking on the carpet without any issues; however, when I stepped onto a hard flooring surface I really noticed the stiffness of the full shank in the boots.
After wearing them around the house for a while I got on the treadmill with them. I walked for two miles at a 25 degree incline. I didn't get any hot spots anywhere on my feet. This was a pleasant surprise because I was expecting some blisters on my heels because blisters on my heels is always a problem area from me. My arches did become fatigued towards the end of the walk.
I continued to wear the boots around the house attempting to get use to walking on a platform that has no flex (due to the full shank in the boot). With time it got easier but it was still a little awkward walking on hard surfaces.
I walked another 2 miles on the treadmill at a 25 degree incline. Again I didn't have any hotspots. Once again my arches became fatigued during the walk. I did notice that my heel lifted a little while I was walking.
I was concerned about the amount my heel was lifting because I was fearful that it would lead to blisters to I called Kuiu. The folks at Kuiu were able to show me another lacing method that helped limit the amount of heel lift.
With the boots relaced it was back on the treadmill for a short 3/4 of a mile walk at a 31% incline and 1/4 mile at -3% decline. The last walk on the treadmill was 2 miles at a 31% incline. This time I felt a little pressure on my shin from the tongue pushing against it, but after adjusting the tongue and relacing (loosening) the boots again the pressure went anyway. Once again the only issue I noticed while walking was that my arches became fatigued.
Overall I was really impressed with the boots. There was not really anything I disliked about the boots. They were probably the most comfortable boots right out of the box that I have put on. They appeared to be very well constructed. I was not overly concerned about the fatigue I felt in my arches because I think that could have easily been corrected with an aftermarket insole. The boots also became a little more flexible the more I walked in them. That being said the shank/sole did not become more flexible and I was told by Kuiu that the shank/sole would not become more flexible over time. The improved flexibility I was feeling was a result of the upper section of the boot breaking in.
That being said after a lot of thought I decided to return the boots to Kuiu. The reason I returned the boots was because I questioned the ability to sneak into bow range while wearing the boots due to their stiffness. This question is one that I had to have answered because you don't always have the option to ditch your boots during a stalk. If I were a rifle hunter I would not have been as concerned about stalking in the boots.
Kuiu’s return policy will not let you return the boots after you wear them outside so I was unable to actually get out into the woods to see if I felt I could complete a stalk while wearing them due to their stiffness. Since I could not answer this question I decided to send the boots back because I thought it was too much of a "gamble" to wear them outside to test this. The last thing I wanted was a pair boots that cost over $400 that didn't meet my needs and that I couldn't return so back they went.
Here is a little background information about my feet. I wear a 9.5 in my Asics and Nikes. I like my shoes a little tighter so I decided to order my boots in a size 10 to make sure that my toes were not cramped while hiking down steep grades. As far as my foot I have a slender ankles, narrow heels, and high arches.
When the boots arrived the first thing I did was look at the exterior of the boots. The sole and rand on the boots appear to be very rugged. I also like what I saw when I looked at the lacing system used by the boots. While looking at the exterior of the boots I didn't see anything that raised any questions or concerns with the sole or rand.
After giving the boots a once over it was time to put on the boots. I was very impressed with how my foot felt inside of the boot. Like I stated previously I have slender ankles and the material inside of the boot really "held" my ankle. It reminded me of putting a new pair of hockey skates.
The tongue of the boot is adjustable up and down by about a 1/2 of an inch. This adjustment is easily accomplished by unvelcroing the tongue and moving it up or down. This adjustment is a nice feature that allows the user to somewhat customize the fit of the boots. By moving the tongue down it filled up some of the "extra" space in the boot which created a better fit for me.
Now it was time to lace up the boots. The lace system on the boots is a pulley system on the lower section, followed by a locking mechanism near your ankle, and topped off with the classic hooks used to finish lacing the boot. The pulleys and the locking mechanism allows you to lock the laces on the lower section before you use the hooks to finish lacing the boots. The locking mechanism worked so well that I had to be careful when lacing the boots because on more than one occasion I over tightened the lower section of the boots and my feet started to fall asleep while wearing them. The only question I had with the lacing system was the long term durability of the laces as a result of "unlocking" them when you are unlacing the boots. This is not a con but simply a question I have.
Now that the boots were laced it was time to actually start walking in them. My first impression was that they were really stiff. I was able to walk ok in them while walking on the carpet without any issues; however, when I stepped onto a hard flooring surface I really noticed the stiffness of the full shank in the boots.
After wearing them around the house for a while I got on the treadmill with them. I walked for two miles at a 25 degree incline. I didn't get any hot spots anywhere on my feet. This was a pleasant surprise because I was expecting some blisters on my heels because blisters on my heels is always a problem area from me. My arches did become fatigued towards the end of the walk.
I continued to wear the boots around the house attempting to get use to walking on a platform that has no flex (due to the full shank in the boot). With time it got easier but it was still a little awkward walking on hard surfaces.
I walked another 2 miles on the treadmill at a 25 degree incline. Again I didn't have any hotspots. Once again my arches became fatigued during the walk. I did notice that my heel lifted a little while I was walking.
I was concerned about the amount my heel was lifting because I was fearful that it would lead to blisters to I called Kuiu. The folks at Kuiu were able to show me another lacing method that helped limit the amount of heel lift.
With the boots relaced it was back on the treadmill for a short 3/4 of a mile walk at a 31% incline and 1/4 mile at -3% decline. The last walk on the treadmill was 2 miles at a 31% incline. This time I felt a little pressure on my shin from the tongue pushing against it, but after adjusting the tongue and relacing (loosening) the boots again the pressure went anyway. Once again the only issue I noticed while walking was that my arches became fatigued.
Overall I was really impressed with the boots. There was not really anything I disliked about the boots. They were probably the most comfortable boots right out of the box that I have put on. They appeared to be very well constructed. I was not overly concerned about the fatigue I felt in my arches because I think that could have easily been corrected with an aftermarket insole. The boots also became a little more flexible the more I walked in them. That being said the shank/sole did not become more flexible and I was told by Kuiu that the shank/sole would not become more flexible over time. The improved flexibility I was feeling was a result of the upper section of the boot breaking in.
That being said after a lot of thought I decided to return the boots to Kuiu. The reason I returned the boots was because I questioned the ability to sneak into bow range while wearing the boots due to their stiffness. This question is one that I had to have answered because you don't always have the option to ditch your boots during a stalk. If I were a rifle hunter I would not have been as concerned about stalking in the boots.
Kuiu’s return policy will not let you return the boots after you wear them outside so I was unable to actually get out into the woods to see if I felt I could complete a stalk while wearing them due to their stiffness. Since I could not answer this question I decided to send the boots back because I thought it was too much of a "gamble" to wear them outside to test this. The last thing I wanted was a pair boots that cost over $400 that didn't meet my needs and that I couldn't return so back they went.
